Women's Rights Today and Yesterday

Hello readers,

Many people were greatly appalled by the demand for women’s equality in the mid 19th century. Women had be looked lesser upon for thousands of years without much of an uproar till this time. The women who were protesting for black slaves’ rights realized that they didn't even have many of the rights they were asking to be given to the slaves. Laws that were against women’s rights included that men could be women to keep them in line, women could not own land, and for a long time could not get a higher education. The women were now saying give these rights to the slaves without even having them themselves. After realizing how wrong that was women spoke up and said give these rights to us as well. After the Seneca Falls Convention where 300 men and women met to discuss women’s rights people had very some very harsh and some positive reactions. In the newspaper, Mechanics Advocate, Female Department, they talk of women’s rights in the bible,  “1st Adam was made before Eve. 2nd Eve sinned before Adam. Now there is no escape for women here, for if she be older than her husband, then of course she must be subject to him, because she must have sinned first. If on the contrary she be younger, she must be subject to him because he was made first”. This then translates into the world saying that no matter what women should be subject to man. Although the convention allowed for women’s rights to get a lot of publicity, as you can see, a lot of it was not positive. It had been called “silly” by another newspaper. The reactions were leaning towards negativity but as you can tell from today, women eventually did get their rights back.

Men and women are thought to be looked at as equals today by many but not all people. They can go into law enforcement together, they can both vote, they can have some of the same jobs, etc. but men and women are still not interchangeable and is that not somewhat what equality is about? Women are not interchangeable to men for certain things though because of straight biological differences. Men are naturally stronger than women, they are able to create more muscle mass. Women are more neutering than men, they have more maternal instincts which allows for that. That will never change so men and women might never be true equals. When men and women do the same things they are thought of still as different. You can see that in this Pantene commercial, click here to watch it. Men and women are doing the exact same thing but described differently. Is that really equality? I think not.

Julianna O.